A n extraordinary collaboration between two industry greats, Picasso: Masterworks from the MGM Resorts Fine Art Collection features exceptional works from the MGM Resorts Collection hosted by Sotheby’s and conducted live from the Bellagio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on October 23. This historic auction will comprise eleven works, all until recently on display in the Bellagio’s renowned Picasso restaurant. Marking the first ever marquee auction in North America outside Sotheby’s signature New York auction venue, this event is highlighted by Picasso’s Femme au béret rouge-orange, a stunning portrait of one of the artist’s most influential lovers and muses.
Painted in 1938, Femme au béret rouge-orange is one of the last great paintings of Marie-Thérèse; as their relationship grew increasingly more fractious in the late 1930s, her iconic visage would slowly be replaced by that of Picasso’s new partner Dora Maar.
Joining this striking portrait are two monumental canvases from 1969. One of Picasso’s largest paintings from this period, Homme et enfant reflects the artist’s spontaneous late style and speaks to his legacy as an artist, man and father—a central preoccupation in Picasso’s final years. Both Homme et enfant and Buste d’homme, which recontextualizes the artist as a virile musketeer, were featured in the historic 1970 exhibition at the Palais des Papes in Avignon organized by Christian and Yvonne Zervos.
Two Cubist-inspired still lifes round out the exceptional group of paintings. Painted during Picasso’s period of isolation in Paris during the Second World War, Nature morte aux fleurs et au compotier and Nature morte au panier de fruits et aux fleurs stand as testaments to Picasso’s enduring spirit of creation and embody the artist’s defiant resistance in the face political conflict. Nature morte au panier de fruits et aux fleurs was exhibited at the 1944 Salon d’Automne; known as the Salon de la Libération, the historic show followed the liberation of Paris and was Picasso’s first major exhibition since wartime.
An array of ceramic works from the 1950s and 1960s, highlighted by the Manet-inspired plaque Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe, attest to Picasso’s relentless creative spirit as he explored the medium and its wealth of possibilities at the Madoura pottery studio. Joined by two large-scale works on paper capturing Picasso’s masterful draftsmanship throughout his career, these works chart the inimitable career of the one of history’s greatest artists. Picasso: Masterworks from the MGM Resorts Fine Art Collection brings these exceptional examples to the market for the first time in more than 20 years.
Exhibition Schedule for Picasso: Masterworks from the MGM Resorts Fine Art Collection
Preview Highlights Exhibition | Hong Kong, October 7–11
Pre-Sale Exhibition Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art | Las Vegas, October 21–23
Auction Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art | Las Vegas, October 23
Exhibition Schedule for Luxury Auction
Pre-Sale Exhibition ARIA Resort | Las Vegas, October 21–24
